Yves Oltramare Chair

The mission of the Yves Oltramare Chair for Religion and Politics in the Contemporary World is to provide a major scientific contribution to the analysis of the impact of the relationship between religion and politics, on the evolution of societies and the international system.

The Chair must contribute to the strengthening of dialogue and finding answers to the problems resulting from these relationships, notably through strong interaction with expert circles and the international players concerned (governments, non-governmental organisations, etc.) by organising an annual colloquium as well as cycles of public lectures. Since November 2026, the chair has been held by Professor Philip Gorski, a professor of anthropology and sociology. He succeeded Professor Jean-François Bayart (2012–2026) and Professor Martin Riesebrodt.

Yves Oltramare

The creation of this Chair is indebted to the encouragement and support of Yves Oltramare, who funded the Chair for ten years. A former partner of the private bank Lombard, Odier & Cie, Yves Oltramare has long been active in philanthropy, particularly in the fields of art, culture, science and humanitarian aid. In the scientific sphere, he has chaired the Louis Jeantet Foundation for Medicine (now the Louis-Jeantet Foundation) and launched the "A ciel ouvert: science et spiritualité" programme, in partnership with the Faculty of Theology at the University of Geneva. The Institute would like to express its deep gratitude to Mr. Oltramare for his support, which enables us to make a valuable contribution to the training of our students, future international players.

Philip gorski

Philip Gorski is a cultural and historical sociologist with a strong interest in social theory and the philosophy of social science. The primary focus of his work is religion and politics in Western Europe and the United States. His historical research focuses on processes of social change. Amongst other things, he has written on state-formation, nationalism, revolution, and secularization. In recent years, he has also written on the complicated relationship between religion, secularism and democracy, with special attention to the influence of Christian nationalism on US politics.

Gorski received his B.A. from Harvard College and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Yale University and has been a visiting professor at Universities of Amsterdam, Beijing, Göttingen, Heidelberg, Konstanz, Shanghai and Yale-NUS College, as well as the ÉHESS.

Geographical area: Western Europe

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The Yves Oltramare Chair Online

Les Entretiens de la chaire Yves Oltramare : Religion et politique, itinéraires de recherche
A Point nommé: Vingt minutes avec un(e) spécialiste sur une question d'actualité
Les Doctorales de la chaire Yves Oltramare : Des chercheurs associé(e)s de la Chaire exposent leur travail doctoral

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Researchers Associated to the Yves Oltramare Chair

The Yves Oltramare Chair for Religion and Politics in the Contemporary World relies on an informal network of associated researchers.
They are chosen by the Chair team for a two-year term, renewable by mutual consensus, and on the recommendation of one of its members.
Associate researchers develop personal research related to the specialisations of the Chair, but do so independently.

They participate in the development and conduct of the Chair's activities, in particular its annual colloquium, its public lectures, its Entretiens and A Point nommé series, the publication of its monthly newsletter, and any other activities it may deem useful to develop.
Associated researchers may be chosen from amongst master and doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows, particularly in order to contribute to their training through practical and scientific activities of various kinds, and beyond, on the proposal of the Chair holder or a member of the network, and on the basis of a broad consensus. They may remain so after entering professional academic life.

Associated researchers are not remunerated.